Cinnamon Toast Breakfast Quinoa

Author: Cookie and Kate
Prep Time: 3 mins
Cook Time: 7 mins
Total Time: 10 minutes
Yield: 1 serving 1x
Category: Breakfast
Method: Stovetop
Cuisine: Vegan

Epic breakfast quinoa recipe featuring toasted pecans, coconut oil, cinnamon and dried cherries or cranberries. It tastes like cinnamon toast! Recipe as written yields 1 serving; you can multiply it as necessary, as long as you use a suitably sized pot.

Ingredients

Breakfast quinoa

Heaping 2 tablespoons chopped raw pecans
1 ½ teaspoons coconut oil
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more for sprinkling on top
Tiny pinch of salt
1 cup pre-cooked quinoa* (either chilled or warm from cooking—both will work)
1 tablespoon maple syrup, more if desired

Toppings and optional accompaniments

1 tablespoon chopped dried cherries or dried cranberries
Hemp seeds, chia seeds or flax seeds (optional), for serving
Milk or yogurt of choice (totally optional), for serving

Instructions

First, toast the pecans before we add the remaining ingredients. To do so, warm the pecans in a small saucepan (use a larger saucepan if you are making multiple servings) over medium heat, shimmying the pan often, until the pecans smell fragrant and toasty, about 4 to 6 minutes.

Add the coconut oil, cinnamon and salt to the pot. While stirring constantly, cook until the cinnamon is fragrant, about 15 seconds.

Add the quinoa to the pot and stir to combine. Cook, while stirring constantly, just until the quinoa is warmed through, about a minute or so. Remove the pan from heat and stir in the maple syrup.

Transfer the mixture to a bowl and top with dried fruit and a hefty sprinkle of hemp seeds, if using. Top with a light sprinkle of cinnamon. Serve promptly, with additional maple syrup and milk or yogurt on the side, if you’d like.

Notes

Recipe adapted from Yum Universe by Heather Crosby.
CHANGE IT UP: Try honey instead of maple syrup, use your favorite nuts or seeds, toast unsweetened shredded or flaked coconut with the nuts, top with fresh fruit or instead of dried, add a big dollop of applesauce, etc.
MAKE IT NUT FREE: Omit the nuts or replace them with pepitas (hulled pumpkin seeds).